Revegetation type drives rhizosphere arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and soil organic carbon fractions in the mining subsidence area of northwest China

Abstract

The rhizosphere arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) community and soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions are important in vegetation restoration because they can promote plant growth and environmental improvement in the mining subsidence area of northwest China. However, the effects of revegetation type on SOC fractions and the AMF community remain poorly understood despite their importance in promoting sustainable environmental development. Here, we have examined the rhizosphere soil AMF community and SOC fractions of five revegetation types comprising Amorpha fruticosa (AF), Hippophae rhamnoides (HR), Xanthoceras sorbifolium (XS), Cerasus humilis (CH), and Cerasus szechuanica (CS). Revegetation type significantly affected AMF α-diversity, communities and SOC fractions. The contents of soil microbial biomass carbon, dissolved organic carbon, readily oxidized organic carbon and readily extractable glomalin were maximum in HR. We found six genera of AMF (Glomus, Scutellospora, Paraglomus, Claroideoglomus, Ambispora and Diversispora) and Glomus was the most frequently occurring genus in each revegetation type. Nitrogen-fixing plants (AF and HR) may release large amounts of soil nutrients to promote the activity of the soil AMF community. Soil pH, SOC and C:N ratio play key roles in shifting the AMF community. Interactions between the soil AMF community and revegetation types are key to optimizing the restoration of degraded systems and accumulating soil organic matter. Our observations may provide fundamental guidelines in the assessment of ecosystem services and sustainable development in vegetation reconstruction in the coal mining subsidence areas.